Weekend Writing Warriors: Tourist Trap

Welcome to another Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors (click on the logo above) and Snippet Sunday (click on the logo below.) Roi has landed safely after his hang glider was sabotaged, and has used his object-reading ability to determine who has touched the glider since he test-flew it the day before.

Roi felt a sick coldness growing in his middle as he probed deeper. Timi, and nobody else, had handled the access hatch since Roi himself had reset the compensation level the day before. Could Zhaim actually have succeeded in influencing Timi to the extent that the Clan boy would try to kill him? Roi could not believe that. Sure, they had disagreements, mostly about Timi’s growing tendency to push what Roi saw as a dangerous flirtation with Zhaim. Roi could even imagine Timi attacking him in a fit of temper, as he had during the snowball fight. But a calculated murder attempt like this?

He pulled his hands back, wiping them on his parka as if he could wipe away the impression his mind had taken from the control bar.

A vacation with his three best friends from slavery and a manhood challenge: Roi is given the graduation present he has dreamed of. Dogsledding, hang gliding, a chance to see Pleistocene animals transplanted to a Terraformed vacation world, horseback riding, sailing … all the sports he has returned to with his recovery from paralysis, and a few new ones to learn.

They’re prepared for danger from weather, wild animals and extreme sports. But none of them realize that Roi’s half brother Zhaim, determined to recover his old position as Lai’s heir, intends to kill them if he can—and he’s decided that the dangers of the trip will make a perfect cover for his schemes.

How long will it take them to realize that the “accidents” they keep running into are more than just accidents?

Tourist Trap, the second novel of the Jarnian Confederation, won first place in science fiction and fiction book of the year in the 2011 Reader Views contest.

Reviewers say:

“Fans of Sue Ann Bowling’s novel Homecoming will not be disappointed with its sequel. Tourist Trap returns the reader to the world of the Jarnian Confederation—to Roi, Lai, Marna, and all of their friends and relations. The author does a stellar job of bringing these characters to life, allowing the reader to not only see their actions but to understand the culture and politics that motivate them. (ForeWord Clarion review; 5 star)

“Tourist Trap” is a great read for anyone that wants motivation and feeling to accompany the action in their sci-fi adventure. Alien beings and super powers are an integral part of Roi’s story but what makes this novel really shine is the heart. Nobody is good or evil just because that’s their assigned role. Just like in real life, everyone has their own motivations and desires, and Bowling does a great job of letting the reader see what it would be like to walk in the shoes of Roi, Xazhar, and even madman Zhaim. (ReaderViews review)

“Flirting” may have been the wrong word here. I did not intend any sexual implication, but Zhaim has been egging on Timi’s dissatisfaction with being technically Roi’s slave, even though from Roi’s POV it is the best way he can protect Timi until they’re both adult.

I end to be tight in single points of view within a section, but I write with multiple points of view. That doesn’t show in snippets, though. Maybe the next scene I show should be from someone else’s POV–like Zhaim.